Cruel brutal or unlucky. All three words sum up Hungary's extra-time loss to Serbia at Otago Stadium yesterday afternoon.
The Eastern Europeans bowed out of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup when defender Attila Talaber found the back of the net at the wrong end of the field.
With the scores locked at 1-1 deep into extra time, it looked like the seventh and final match in Dunedin was destined to go to penalties.
However, Serbian forward Ivan Saponjic fired a cross into the box for team-mate Mijat Gacinovic in the 117th minute. Talaber lunged at the ball in an attempt to cut off the pass, only for it to somehow lob into his own goal.
While the Serbs celebrated in style, the devastated Hungarians were left to console Talaber, who was visibly upset with his blunder.
The match-winner ensured Serbia, which has played all four of its matches in Dunedin, advanced to the quarter-finals, where it will play United States in Auckland on Sunday.
The own goal was a cruel blow to Hungary, which led for a good chunk of the match after going ahead early in the first half.
It went 1-0 up courtesy of Bence Mervo's goal on the counter-attack.
His fifth goal of the tournament came just moments after Serbian forward Filip Jankovic missed a gilt-edged chance to score at the other end.
Jankovic, filling in for the suspended Sergei Milinkovic, who had to sit the game out after receiving a couple of yellow cards during the group stage, should have scored after Nemanja Antonov put the ball on a plate for him.
But he miss-hit the ball and Hungarian forward Zsolt Kalmar opened Serbia up on the counter with a strong run into the box, before dragging the ball back for Mervo to blast home.
The Serbs, who had botched endless chances
to that point, finally found the equaliser in stoppage time through Saponjic, who came on as a substitute in the 57th minute.
His goal, a powerful header via a corner a kick, robbed Hungary, which had done desperately well to keep the Serbs in check, of a huge upset.
Hungary was perhaps guilty of being a bit conservative in extra time, particularly with a numerical advantage over Serbia, which lost midfielder Milan Gajic to a second yellow card almost immediately after his side drew level.
Serbian midfielder Sasa Zdjelar had the best chance to open the scoring in the first half, when he unleashed a shot bound for the top right-hand corner in the 27th minute, but Hungary goalkeeper Gyorgy Szekely made a fabulous save to tip it wide.
